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PHOTO GALLERY (27)

1993 and 1996 Ford Bronco

Growing up, many of us look up to our fathers for guidance in life. They teach us early on the difference between right and wrong and lead by example. Inevitably, we tend to pick up some of their hobbies and philosophies over the years. Such was the case for Tony and Vic Rojo, who learned from a very young age how much fun could be had romping around the desert in a go-fast truck. Tony and Vic grew up with a father who had a passion for camping, off-roading, and off-road racing, who led them down a path to creating the 1993 and 1996 Ford Bronco builds we're profiling here.

Victor Rojo Sr. was a man who dedicated himself completely to his family as well as his work. He spent his life being a role model for his three sons—Ed, Vic Jr., and Tony—and his philosophy was to always do things right, PERIOD! No ifs, ands, or buts; short cuts were not acceptable in his world. As an aeronautical engineer, he spent most of his time leading and running manufacturing facilities, which include the likes of Mr. Gasket. Though he dedicated himself to his work wholeheartedly, he always made sure to spend time with his boys, whether it was taking them camping in the desert or chasing for a race team in the backcountry of Baja.

Tony tells us his father started taking him and his brothers camping at an early age and got them hooked on off-roading at a ripe young age, riding sandrails in Glamis and later 'wheeling through the majestic deserts of Baja. In that time, Victor Sr. formed a group of likeminded folks called Los Amigos and would coordinate and lead trips to Baja regularly. As such, they spent lots of time 'wheeling in places like the Bay of L.A., Puertecitos, San Felipe, the observatory, and even the pine forest in Baja. Consequently, it was only natural that both Tony and Vic Jr. would end up taking after their father, they themselves organizing incredible trips through Baja with great friends. Their father was a Blue Oval guy at heart, owning at least five Broncos and two F-150s over his lifetime. Tony and Vic Jr., however, broke tradition and built a Jeep Cherokee XJ and a Toyota FJ Cruiser, respectively, which led to their father continuously giving them a hard time, telling them, “Buy a Ford!” It took them a few years, but they both finally listened and ended up building two of the gnarliest desert-bred Broncos to ever hit the dirt in Baja.

Both Broncos were built for speed, comfort, and reliability—all crucial elements when traversing hundreds of miles on end of grueling Baja backcountry. Sadly, Victor Rojo Sr. passed away on June 15, 2011. Before he passed, however, he was able to see both his sons building Blue Oval desert trucks and, not surprising, was overcome with great pride and joy seeing his sons taking after him and keeping the tradition of great times in Baja very much alive.

We ran into Tony and Vic at a race down in Baja and were very impressed with the new work that had been done on both trucks. Johnny Lightning in Corona, California, built both of the immaculate rollcages out of 1.75-inch DOM tubing and fully TIG-welded all the joints. The A-pillar tubes were tucked up as tight as possible to the body and were routed behind the dash for a cleaner low-profile appearance. We really like the fact that Johnny Lightning designed the 'cage in CAD design before making any bends so that both Broncos' 'cages could be built identically. The grab handles on the A-pillars are definitely the icing on the cake, but we should also mention that the 'cage is bolted in to the frame via polyurethane mounts that do a great job of keeping 'cage squeak to a minimum.